UPI Launches Program to Extend Payment Network for International Students

HONG KONG, Sept. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- UnionPay International (UPI), a global leader in payment solutions, announced the launch of its program for international students, in partnership with multiple universities, tuition payment platforms, student housing operators, and local banks. The program features a comprehensive, one-stop cross-border payment solution to facilitate tuition payments, daily purchases, and local card applications, making payment easier and safer for international students in 183 countries and regions.

With the holiday season coming to an end, international students and their families are preparing for a new school year. As the volume of tuition payments increased by 17% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, UnionPay integrates resources to meet cross-border payment needs and to offer cost-effective and seamless services. Its payment solutions are now more accessible thanks to partnerships with international payment platforms, local acquirers and Chinese issuers, facilitating tuition payments, campus spending, and other everyday purchases. With UnionPay products, international students can enjoy a wide range of discounts on retailers, restaurants, transportation, airlines, hotel reservations, and online food delivery.

UPI's partnerships with international payment platforms—including Flywire, EasyTransfer, Convera (formerly Western Union), and PayMyTuition—cover thousands of global educational institutions. Official websites of partner universities can accept UnionPay cards through these platforms, with discounts based on real-time currency exchange rates. Partners such as Canada's CIBC, Australia's BPAY and iEduPay, New Zealand's PayPlus, and South Korea's PayZoom, have made UnionPay more widely accepted.

UPI has teamed up with local banks to issue UnionPay cards in major destinations for international students, such as Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Spain, and Canada, allowing students to efficiently complete local card application and to use their cards upon arrival. UnionPay payments are accepted by UK-based student apartment providers, including Unite Students and Chapter-living. Besides, well-known local student housing brands in Australia, such as Scape, Iglu, and UniLodge have also enabled UnionPay online payment services. Additionally, international apartment operators such as Greystar have been integrated into the UnionPay merchant network.

UnionPay acceptance covers 183 countries and regions. International students can thus enjoy seamless and secure payment options across multiple countries, enabling them to integrate into local life more easily. In Hong Kong and Macau SARs, almost all ATMs and merchants accept UnionPay, including MTR tap-and-go, Octopus top-ups with Apple Pay, and popular dining hotspots such as Lan Kwai Fong. UnionPay cards can be used at cafés, supermarkets, and restaurants surrounding universities such as HKUST and HKU. Singapore's universities and private schools, such as NUS, JCU, and NAFA, accept UnionPay for online tuition payments, and nearly all ATMs and 80% of merchants in the country support the card for dining, shopping, and travel.

In Europe and the UK, UnionPay is accepted by most ATMs, department stores, cafés, restaurants, and tourist attractions. University of Portsmouth, University of Edinburgh, University of Sussex, and Imperial College London take UnionPay for tuition payments on their own websites and through Flywire and Convera. In Canada, over 500,000 merchants, including T&T Supermarket, IKEA, Dollarama, Tim Hortons, and Starbucks support UnionPay. In  Australia, universities including University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Monash, and University of Queensland accept UnionPay for both online and POS payments. In New Zealand, institutions such as University of Auckland and Victoria University, as well as private schools and language programs, support UnionPay at shops, libraries, and cafés on campus.

As the number of students studying abroad continues to grow, UnionPay leverages its global payment network to make cross-border payment securer and easier with lower costs. In doing so, it provides a stable source of student customers for international banks and merchants, promoting the growth of local consumer markets. As always, UPI welcomes new partners in creating a safer and more convenient payment ecosystem for international students.